Learning the Secret

Scott Risley

Exodus 17:7

Paul discovered the secret of contentment. He learned that lust will deaden our souls and Jesus alone offers true contentment. That contentment should overflow in generosity, starting now.

Preventing End of Life Tragedies

Jeff Gordon

Exodus 17:7

Dr. Jeff Gordon shares his experiences with the issue of end of life care in America. The hidden truth is that every year, Medicare spends billions of dollars in just the last few months of care for patients, which really can be argued is just a prolonging of death. Jeff discusses the probability of living after certain end of life illnesses and tragedies and the reality of what this "care" looks like. It often is more humane to let death take people naturally when the time has come instead of pouring countless dollars toward adding a few more days, weeks, or months in an uncomfortable hospital environment. As Christians, we can have hope after death and take legal actions now to prepare ourselves for the medical care we would like to or not like to receive at the end of our lives.

The Gospel and the Paradox of Success

Jim Leffel

Mark 10:17-31

When the rich young ruler comes to Jesus with amazing self-confidence in his own righteousness, he asks Jesus what he must do to be saved. Jesus shows him how high the bar of the Law really is to God. The gospel states that no religious system can save us, but that God offers us His grace as a free and undeserved gift. God does want success for us in terms of wealth, but in a life of following Him.

The Body of Christ (Part 2)

Dennis McCallum

Acts 2:44-47

Following Pentecost and the arrival of the Holy Spirit's permanent indwelling of believers, we see the dynamic Body of Christ at work. The early church was dynamic for several reasons, including: 1) generosity and sacrificing for others needs; 2) having a corporate unity of heart and mind; 3) interacting in both small and large groups, where large groups were dynamic and exciting and small groups allowed for deep intimacy and relational involvement; 4) authentic community that was sincere about the time spent with one another; 5) active gratitude, praising God regularly; 6) integrated with the culture around them; and 7) outreaching to others with the message of Jesus' forgiveness. These qualities have disappeared throughout the majority of the Western Church because of materialism and different priorities. This type of ethos within the church is powerful in demonstrating God's power and love to others.

Affluent Christians and Their Poor Neighbors

Dennis McCallum

James 2:5

The Chrisitan worldview is one of the few worldviews that elevates the poor out of a social structure that says they are a burden or unwanted. We all are fellow heirs to the kingdom with equal status in our standing with God to those who have redemption in Christ. Are we grateful to God to be in the position to have a positive impact and meet the needs of the poor in the world? Or do we go through our busy lives of excess and forget about the great commission?

What Can We Do?

Dennis McCallum

2 Corinthians 8

What can we do when the face of poverty is visible all around us? There are many people who barely have enough to eat and little means to turn their lives around. Giving 5 dollars to the person with a sign on the corner is just hardening our heart to the poor so we don't have to think deeper on why they are there. Jesus encourages us to treat our neighbors as the Good Samaritan does; give from the heart and from what we have. We can also financially support the initiatives of groups trying to defeat the causes of poverty.

The Rich and the Poor

Dennis McCallum

Proverbs 14:21

There is a vast inequality between the poor and wealthy in the world today. Looking at other countries it's easy to see how we in the United States live in a state of surplus and luxury. God calls on us to support and care for the poor of the world. How often do we simply give out change and think nothing of it a moment later? Jesus calls us to care for those in real need and to give sacrificially so our heart can shift from supplying our needs to the needs of others. \r\n

Being a "Doer": Inclusiveness and Compassion

Dennis McCallum

1 Corinthians 1:26-29

When we are not taking our identity from God we create an arbitrary identity through distinctions and setting our identity based on that. James implores us to love others as ourselves, and not show partiality based on distinctions we make in our minds. Being a doer of the Word means going out of our way to love those different than ourselves.

Solomon Sliding

Dennis McCallum

1 Corinthians 10:12

God did His part for Solomon in what He promised him. He gave him wisdom and wealth, but Solomon got distracted by the gift and forgot about who gave it to him. In his heart, he moved away from a life of serving God to a life of self-gratification. Solomon led his life chasing after things that had no end, there was always more to have, and he was never happy or grateful for what he had. But for us today no matter how far we drift away from God's will for our lives, we are able to come back to His presence under His grace through Jesus.